Tuesday, January 6, 2015 12:33 pm

ROCHESTER - Rehearsals for Granite State Choral Society will begin on Sunday at the First Church Congregational, 63 S. Main Street. Registration begins at 3:15 p.m. and ends on January 25.

Rehearsals are on Sunday afternoons from 4-6:30 in the chapel at First Church Congregational in Rochester.

GSCS looks forward to continue their 40th sason of sharing music with local communities and beyond with an exciting spring program that will begin with a special 40th Anniversary Gala premiering commissioned music created to celebrate the history of Rochester and then performed again alongside Strafford Wind Symphony.

Forty years ago Granite State Choral Society, then known as the Rochester Community Chorus, presented its first concert under the direction of Syliva Dowst. This was the culmination of a desire by the Rev. Frank Gulinello to again see and hear a community chorus in Rochester.

The last time a known choral society was registered in the Lilac City was the Rochester Oratorio Society, of which little is known except its last performance in 1907 of The Creation nearly 70 years previous. In the four decades since that rebirth, GSCS continues to enjoy performing in collaborations with fantastic instrumentalists and other choral groups from the Seacoast area to showcase timeless music.

The Granite State Choral Society is a nonauditioned community chorus dedicated to presenting quality choral performances, ranging in styles from classical to secular, and promoting the appreciation of the choral arts. The members come from all walks of life, from age 12 on up, and range from experienced singers to novices just discovering the joys of choral singing.

Knowledge of how to read music is not a requirement, but may be helpful. For more information about joining the chorus, please email Donna at gschoral@gmail.com, call 207-457-1576, or visit our website, www.gschoralsociety.org.